 Our next meeting of the book club is on November 23, to discuss "See No Stranger." In reading this (I haven't made it to the end), I'm struck by some similarities to our last selection, "James." For our next discussion, I'd like to try something different. Let's compare the moral issues these two books have in common - racism certainly leaps out at me. Rather than our usual in-depth evaluation of our present selection, I'd like to compare broader themes the two books share. Some of you have mentioned you would have liked to further explore the characters in "James," so this is an opportunity to do so while reviewing "See No Stranger." In the meantime, think about how James and Valerie Kaur face similar difficulties in their lives. Looking forward to this discussion.
Kind regards, Suzanne Higgins <[email protected]> In the interest of preparing for the transition from having two deacons serve at CHS to having no deacons serve at CHS Mo Kim is convening a worship team. Leaders from the acolytes, altar guild, music, readers, lay Eucharistic ministers, and staff will meet to discuss how this transition will impact worship and how we can work together to make this an opportunity for all to love and serve at the altar of God almighty. If you are interested in serving at the altar, behind the scenes or have ideas about ways in which to make worship accessible and joyous for all please be in touch with Mother Kim to join the conversation.
 Undue Medical Debt- The Watchung Convocation, which consists of the 16 Episcopal Parishes in Alexandria, Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bound Brook, Bridgewater, Dunellen, Flemington, Gladstone, Lebanon, New Providence, Plainfield, Scotch Plains, Somerville and Plainfield, has begun collecting funds to reduce medical debt.
The non-profit, Undue Medical Debt (https://unduemedicaldebt.org/campaigns/), established in 2014, this 501c3 organization pays off medical bills that have been sent to collections agencies throughout the United States. In New Jersey this work has been taken up by the state government and over 1.1 Billion dollars of medical collections have been forgiven in the last year, so the clergy of these parishes in our meeting this week decided to direct our collection to individuals in the state of West Virginia, where nearly one quarter of the state’s population is living under the specter of medical debt. For every dollar raised we will be able to relieve $100 of debt. If you are interested in learning more about this project you can click the link above. To contribute to the fund, we will have an online giving option soon, but for now we are asking for folks to write a check directly to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, PO Box 605, Gladstone, NJ 07934. The check should be written to St. Luke's Church Watchung Convocation with "medical debt" on the memo line. The first part of this campaign will end the week before Diocesan Convention in November of 2025.  Suggested Donation $5.50 per Meal
Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon is now offering congregate meals in Church of the Holy Spirit’s Dove Hall, 3 Haytown Rd, Lebanon (and in the Senior Center, 4 Gauntt Place, Flemington) to seniors at least 60 years of age, Monday through Friday, from 11:00am until 1:00pm. Meal orders must be made in advance, at least by 12:30pm the day before (and by 12:30pm on Friday for Monday), by calling the Meals on Wheels office at (908) 284-0735. Walk-ins can only be accommodated if there is extra food available. A “Congregate Registration Form” must be filled out annually by each participant. The objective of Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon’s nutrition program services is to assist the elderly and disabled of Hunterdon County to avoid unwanted institutionalization by making it possible for them to live at home in comfort, safety and dignity. Their website is www.mowih.org and their main phone number is (908) 284-0735.  A Music & Liturgy team has been established by the wardens to support Fr. Andrew and Alexei Tartakovsky during this time of transition.
In addition to Fr. Andrew, who is responsible for worship, and Alexei, our Music Director, the team includes Tricia Simpson-Curtin, Gabrielle Bolarakis, John Rollins, Brian Savage and, when she is well, Diane Bendahmane. Tricia is organizing the team, and they are working on these areas:
Who We Are and How You Too Can Find a PlaceJesus lived in a troubled time; but he announced the dawning of a new era, God's reign of justice and peace.
He defied the powers that opposed God's reign by reaching out to all the victims of these powers. He gathered a company of followers, teaching them how to live in the freedom of this new era. But the world turned against him; his followers abandoned him; and the authorities executed him as a threat to the peace, in about 33 AD. from the dead! - The one who had risen to them and, through them, to the world. They were now convinced that God had rejected the judgment against Jesus and yet had absorbed the pain of it. By giving Jesus a new life, God validated everything Jesus stood for and gave his followers a new life in solidarity with him and with those he sought to serve. They began to see this new kind of life as the world's true future; others caught the vision and joined them. Thus began an historic movement inspired by this Good News. We are people bound together because we follow the way of Jesus Christ. We recognize the presence of God in Jesus and see his way of life as God's way toward a world transformed by love. We tell his story, from generation to generation, convinced that we must follow him and embody his vision. Come and get to know Jesus by getting to know people whose lives are being shaped by this Good News. Discover the Spirit of Jesus and see what God is really like. Experience what it means to be part of Jesus' deepening impact on the world by belonging to a community of his followers.  Sunday Services
In Person and Online - Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. CHS Worship is also on FaceBook Live (available without Facebook) 8:00 a.m. - Holy Communion Church of the Holy Spirit is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/96238557143?pwd=SUlqdVpqUHdTdVdOWUY5U1BpU0NBUT09 Meeting ID: 962 3855 7143 Passcode: 087656 FaceBook Live site link http://tinyurl.com/CHSWorship or http://online.churchholyspirit.net 10:00 a.m. - Holy Communion Church of the Holy Spirit is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/91376817129?pwd=WGg5SGZyRnN5RmtyNWp3UVQwbFFzUT09 Meeting ID: 913 7681 7129 Passcode: 254800 FaceBook Live site link http://tinyurl.com/CHSWorship or http://online.churchholyspirit.net Follow and pray along using the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) Calling All Knitters and Crocheters  Since the onset of the pandemic, the Shawl Ministry at the NJ Women's Prison has been shut down. No shawls are currently being made by the inmates of the prison. Consequently, our stock of shawls for distribution by CHS to persons in need is being maintained by the Knit/Crochet & Chat group that meets on Monday afternoons.. If you are a knitter or crocheter, think about picking up your needles and hooks to help replenish our supply. Yarn is available in the hallway bins adjacent to the church office. If you need patterns or advice (or encouragement), ask any member of the Kint/Crochet & Chat group.
Welcome to the CHS Master Calendar
The CHS Master Calendar was created to consolidate the multiple calendars that were being used previously. Not all those calendars were up to date; many did not have the same events listed. The ability to see details on the many events happening at CHS was not available on all the calendars. Google calendar became the obvious choice: it allows us to access one site for all events, to manage those events in one place, including details as needed; embed the calendar on the CHS website; and allow for dynamic changes. A change made on the master immediately becomes visible on all linked versions. If a change is made to the master, it appears immediately on the web version and it will appear on your version as well. You can access the CHS calendar from your computer, laptop, smart phone or tablet. To see the calendar on the website, go to www.churchholyspirit.org and scroll to the bottom of the page. Use the arrows below the header to see future or past months. Move to the far right and select if you wish to see a week or month at a time or click Agenda for a listing of events. Details are available for many events. To have the calendar on your computer or other device, copy and paste or type this URL into your browser: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=chs.calendar%40churchholyspirit.net&ctz=America%2FNew_York A limited number of people have administrative permission: Marge Keller, the Office Admin, Webmaster and CHS News editor. If you wish to have an event added to the calendar, contact one of them. To check facility availability, please contact the Office Admin.  Whaling is a form of pfishing known as whaling. It doesn't just affect us! The Diocese of Newark has recently had a series of these attacks and has published an article explaining the phenomenon and what you can do about it.
"You receive an email that appears to be from the Bishop, or your clergy person, asking you to take some kind of action – click a link, download an attachment, wire money to a specified account, purchase gift cards and reply with the serial numbers, or simply to reply quickly. Watch out – it could be a form of email “phishing” known as “whaling.” "Whereas “phishing” involves sending a fraudulent email to a large group of people in the hope that a few will respond, “whaling” involves forging communications that look like they’re from the “big phish” in an organization, i.e. the “whale.” For us, this usually means the Bishop or a clergy person, although it could be someone else in authority. "Because these emails are usually crafted more carefully than your standard “phishing” email, they can be more difficult to detect." Read the whole article, but here are some brief suggestions about what to do:
Please know that no clergy person, Deacon Dot, your wardens or your Vestry would never make such a request. They will never ask for personal information, money, gift cards or anything else by email or on social media. Ignore any such request and, if possible, report it to your ISP as a fraud/scam. One email looked like this: I am not in the position to make a phone call at the moment as i am in a meeting and that is why i am contacting you via email. I will like you to help handle a personal matter. I would need you to help send out couple of gift cards to a family member in school concerning her project.and i will need this handled immediately. Kindly let me know if you are available to run this task right now so i can advise the quantity and domination. Pay attention and stay safe! Faithfully, Deacon Dot will be holding a “prayer circle” after each service. It is called a “prayer circle” because we will hold hands as we pray together. It will be a time to pray with others who are feeling a need for extra prayer. We will meet in the alcove across from the organ. Anyone interested is welcome to join us. If you have any questions, please speak with Dot.
 AudioFetch has been installed. For those needing hearing assist, this broadcast system works over our already existing wifi. You need only download the AudioFetch app on your smart phone or tablet and you will get live amplified sound through your ear piece. We ask members who have older unused smart phones to donate them - along with chargers etc, so members can use these dedicated devices.
 Photos courtesy of Dave Dabour  Photo courtesy of Jack Daniels Photos courtesy of Cate Mattison
|
Have you news?Please submit your news items to webmaster. Archives
October 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed